PANAJI: Neomis Panthers edged past GTZ Pacers to be crowned champions of PBC Pro Badminton league 2020 at Indoor stadium, here at Campal-Goa.
Lydia Barreto, young India international shuttler and Quepem-boy Divyesh Shirsat starred for the winning team, ably supported by rest of the Neomis squad to register an exciting 147 – 145 finals win in a specially created format for the league.
Earlier, both Neomis and GTZ won all their 4 league matches to top their respective groups while Fomento Falcons and Paradise Eagles emerged second to seal the other two last-four berths.
In the semi-finals which were equally engrossing, Neomis Panthers battled their way past Fomento Falcons 147 – 145 while GTZ Pacers had a more comfortable outing in their 147 – 134 win over Paradise Eagles.
The championship witnessed 10 professional teams competing for the attractive prizes, trophies and honours. Special prizes for upcoming rural players of the season were awarded to Abhishek Swamy, Sadiq Attar, Divyesh Shirsat, Minino D’ Souza and Shane D’ Souza. The Player of the championship award was won by Chinmay Kamat of GTZ Pacers.
“It was nice to see most of the top shuttlers participate in this championship and giving their best. Teams were well-balanced and matches went very close, which kept the players and spectators glued to their seats. With uncertainty over the Nationals, GBA and its affiliated clubs have planned more events like these in different locations to keep the players in a healthy competitive shape. Times may be difficult but the shuttle will keep moving from city to city.”
Sandeep Heble, Secretary, Goa Badminton Association
Powered by Adidas Badminton, the third edition of the league team championship was organised by Panjim Badminton Club in collaboration with Goa Badminton Association and the Sports Authority of Goa.
